Buttonhole sewing machine



June 28, 1932. F. A. REECE BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l r w n v m e A n e B WWW .m M K m m Fl \W/ June 28, 1932. F. A. REECE BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 \nvenTor. Franklin A. Reece byW/MaW An s.

June 28, 1-932. F. A. REECE 1,865,140

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed March 29, 19:0 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fr ar 1\ \in-A.Reece b fmawzw Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANKLIN A. REECE, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE REECE BUTTON HOLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE BUTTONI-IOLE SEWING MACHINE Application filed March 29, 1930. Serial No. 439,900.

This invention relates to buttonhole sew ing machines and particularly to novel means for cutting the thread at the end of the sewing operation on a buttonhole and for holding the work while the thread is being out.

The sewing machine herein illustrated is of the type which includes loopers operating beneath the work and which co-operate with the needle that operates from above the work to form the stitches along the sides of the buttonhole, and which is so constructed that when the stitch-forming mechanism comes to rest at the completion of the sewing on the buttonhole there will be a loop of upper thread retained by the loopers of the under thread mechanism.

One feature of the present invention relates to novel means associated with the buttonhole-cutting mechanism for cutting the leg of this loop of upper thread which leads to the work.

The buttonhole-cutting mechanism is provided with the usual two buttonhole-cutting 1 elements, one operating from above the work and the other situated beneath the work, and the buttonhole-cutting element beneath the work is constructed to have a movement into and out of operative position.

My improved thread cutter 'by which the loop of upper thread is cut is carried by the under buttonhole-cutting element and is constructed so that as this element is moved into its cutting position the thread cutter will be caused to cut the loop of upper thread.

Another feature of my invention relates to means for holding the work while the under thread is being cut beneath the work.

The work is held during the sewing operation by the usual work-holding meanswhich includes the work clamps arranged to clamp the work against work supporting or clamp plates. A the end of the sewing operation on the buttonhole the stitch-forming mechanism and'work-holding means have a relative movement to carry the parts from stitching to buttonhole-cutting position as usual in huttonhole-sewing machines and the sewing machine herein illustrated has a thread cutter which operates beneath the work to cut the under thread while the stitch-forming mechanism and work-holding means are moving from buttonhole-stitching position to button hole-cutting position. Prior to the operation of the thread cutter, however, the work clamps are released, and a hold-down is provided which is brought into engagement with the work through the relative movement of the stitch-forming mechanism and workholding means from stitching to buttonholecutting position, this hold-down being brought into'engagement with the work after the clamps have opened but before the thread cutter is operated to cut the under thread so that the work will be held by the holddown while the under thread is being cut.

A sewing machine having this hold-down feature is illustrated in co-pending application Serial N 0. 436,926, filed March 19, 1930, by John Kiewicz.

One feature of my present invention rethe proper time to hold the work while the thread cutter is being operated at the end of the sewing operation and will also give the hold-down another movement, which, however, is an idle or useless movement when the sewing machine is started again and while the parts are moving relatively from buttonholecutting to stitching position.

In my present invention I have provided improved means for operating the hold-down which will actuate the latter only at the time when the hold-down is needed to hold the work while the thread cutter is being operated. i

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel fea} tures will be pointed out in the appended claims. j i

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a buttonhole-sewing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the head removed and showing the cutter for the upper thread;

Fig; 3 is a top plan view of the work-holding means and illustrating the hold-down;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view illustrative of the turret carrying the loopers of the under thread mechanism and showing the position of the parts when the stitch-forming mechanism comes to rest;

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the operation of the cutter for cutting the upper thread.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the holddown actuator;

Fig. 8 is a side view of said actuator illustrating the position of the parts during the sewing on the butt-onhole.

In the sewing machine herein illustrated the work-holding means which holds the work during the stitching operation is carried by the bed frame 1 while the stitch-forming mechanism is carried by a stitch frame indicated generally at 2. The work-holding means comprises the usual clamp plates 3 on which the work is supported and work clamps 4 which clamp the work against the plates 3, these clamp plates being carried by arms 5 pivoted to the clamp plates 3 at 6. V

The stitch frame which supports the stitchforming mechanism includes the head portion 7 in which operates the needle bar 8 carrying the needle 9 operating above the work and which is threaded with the upper thread 10, and also thelower frame portion 11 in which is rotatably mounted the turret 12 carrying the loopers 13, 1 and the loop Spreaders 15, 16 of the under thread mecha nism and also the throat 38. The portion 11 of the frame also includes the cam casing 17 in which is supported the main cam 18 that controls the operations of the sewing machine.

The buttonhole-cutting mechanism herein illustrated is of the type shown in co-pending application Serial No. 432,010, filed February 28, 1930, by J. W. Connors. This comprises two buttonhole-cutting elements 19 and 20, one of which is in the form of a block and the other of which is in the form of a cutting blade. The element 19 is carried by a cutter lever 21 pivoted to the stitch frame 2 at 22 and normally held in raised position by the spring 23. This element is given its cutting movement by means of a cutting cam 24: carried by the main cam 18 and which is adapted to engage the tail 29 of the lever 21 at the appropriate time. The cutting element 20 is mounted on a slide 30 which slid es back and forth in ways 31 carried by the under portion 11 of the stitch frame thereby to carry the cutter element 20 into and out of operative position. This movement of the slide 30 is derived directly from the main cam 18 for which purpose said cam is provided with acam groove 32 in which operates a follower 33 secured to an arm 34 extending rearwardly from the slide 30.

The stitch-forming mechanism and workholding means have a movement relative to each other as usual in buttonhole-sewing machines to carry the parts from buttonhole-cutting position to stitching position when the sewing machine is started and then to produce a proper feedin of the work when the sewing is being performed and then to carry the parts from stitching to buttonhole-cutting position after the sewing has been completed.

In the machine herein illustrated this relative movement is secured by moving the stitch frame 2 back and forth on the bed frame 1, there being a quick movement of the stitch frame in one direction when the machine is started to carry the parts from buttonholecutting to buttonhole-stitching position and then a slow back and forth movement while the stitching is being formed on the buttonhole and then a quick movement back to initial position after the completion of the sewing thereby to carry the parts from buttonhole-stitching to buttonhole-cutting position.

The mechanism as above described is such as may be found in buttonhole-sewing machines of this type and forms no part of my present invention.

WVhen the stitch-forming mechanism comes to rest at the completion of the sewing on a buttonhole there will be a loop 35 of the upper thread 10 retained by the non-threaded loo-per 13 and its loop spreader 15 as shown in Figs. -5 and 6 and the turret will be in a position so that this loop will occupy a vertical plane eX- tending from front to rear as illustrated best inFig. 6.

My invention includes an upper thread cutter 36 which is rigid with the buttonhole-cutting element 20 and which is so arranged that when this element 20 is moved into its cutting position the cutting edge 37 of the cutter 36 will engage the side of the loop 35 which leads to the work ".0 and out said loop directly beneath the throat 38. The buttonhole-cutting element 20 is shown as mounted on a block 39 which is secured to the slide or carrier 30 and the thread cutter 36 embodying my improvement is secured to the top of said block by suitable screws 40.

I have shown the shank of the thread cutter as having slots 41 through which the screws 40 extend, these slots providing for such an adjustment of the cutter as will enable it to cut the side of the loop leading to the work without cutting the other side of said loop. This upper thread cutter is thus very simple in constructionand it performs its threadcutting operation during the movement of the buttonhole-cutting element 20 into its cutting position. 1

As stated above another feature of my invention relates to means for holding the work while the under thread is being cut beneath the work. The under thread andstay cord, if one is used, are cut at the end of the sewing operation by a cutting member 42 which lies directly above the clamp plates 3 and is pivotally mounted to the bed frame 1 at 43. This cutter is actuated by means such as shown in the co-pending application Serial No. 269,985, filed April 14, 1928, by John Kiewicz, which means are so constructed that the cutter will have its thread-cutting movement after the clamps 4 have been raised as shown in Fig. 4.

The work w overlies the thread cutter 42 and the latter has a swinging movement to the left Fig. 3 to cut the under thread and stay cord beneath the work.

Since the thread cutter 42 is actuated after the clamps 4 have been raised there is provided a hold-down finger 44 which is pivotally mounted to one of the clamp plates 3 coaxially with the clamp-supporting arms 5 and which is adapted to be swung down into engagement with the work on as shown in Fig. 4 after the clamps 4 have been raised and just before the thread cutter 42 has its threadcutting movement.

Another feature of my invention relates to a novel means for thus actuating this holddown 44. Pivotally mounted on the portion45 of the stitch frame 2 is a hold-down actuator member 46, this member being pivoted to the frame portion 45 at 47. The member-46 is formed at its forward end with a lateral nose or extension 48, the front edge of which is bevelled as shown at 49 and the rear edge of which inclines in a transverse direc tion as shown at 50.

The hold-down finger 44 is secured to a block or member 51 which is pivotally mounted at 6 as above described and then the block is formed at its rear end with a downward extension or foot 52 that has the bevelled rear face 53 and a slightly-inclined front face 54. The actuating member 46 is normally held in the full line position Fig. 3 against a stop 55 by means of a spring 56.

It will be remembered that the stitch frame 2 has a movement back and forth on the bed frame land during the sewing on the buttonhole the stitch frame 2 is occupying a position in which the actuator 46 is in the rear of the end 52 of the block 51.

During the quick movement of the stitch frame which occurs after the stitch-forming mechanism comes to rest and by which the parts are brought from stitching to buttonhole-cutting position the actuator 46 will be carried into the position shown in full lines Fig. 4, during which movement the bevelled face 49 of the actuator will engage the-bevelled face 53 of the block 51 thereby swinging said block about its pivot Gagainst the.

action of the spring 57 and bringing the front end of the hold-down finger against the work thereby holding the work to the clamp plate. This operation occurs just before the under thread cutter 42 is given its thread-cutting movement. During the continued movement ofthe stitch frame by which the parts are carried into buttonhole-cutting position the extension 48 of the actuator 46 will wipe under the foot 52 and by the time the parts have come into buttonhole-cutting position the actuator 46 will have reached the dotted line position 4 and the nose 52 will have passed off from the extension 48. The spring 57 will then serve to raise the hold-down arm so as to permit the work to be removed and hence when the buttonhole sewing cycle has been entirely completed both the clamps 4 and the hold-down arm 44 will be in raised posi tion.

When the machine is again started the clamps will be lowered automatically into extension 48 has been carried beyond the toe 52 then the spring 56 will swing the actuator back into its operative position ready to actuate the hold-down finger at the completion of the sewing, and at the time when the cutter 42 is again actuated to cut the thread.

With this improvement, therefore, the holddown is not given any idle or useless movement during the movement ofv the stitch frame from buttonhole-cutting to buttonholestitching position.

1 I claim:

1. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism constructed so that when it comes to rest at the end of the-sewing cycle there is a loop of upper thread retained by the under thread mechanism, of buttonhole-cutting mechanism comprising a cutting element movable into and out of operative position, and means carriedv by said cutting element and constructed to cut one leg-of said loop of upper thread during the movement of said cutting element into its operative position.

2. In a buttonhole sewingmachine, the

combination with stitch-forming mechanism r constructed so that when it comes to rest at the end of the sewing cycle there is a looplof upper thread retained by the under thread ilo mechanisnnof buttonhole-cutting-mechanism comprising a cutting element-Inovable-horiret into operative position.

cutting mechanism comprising a cutting element slidable horizontally in the direction of the length of the buttonhole into and out of buttonhole-cutting position and a thread- 4, cutting member carried by said buttonholecutting element and adapted to cut one side of said loop of needle thread when the buttonhole cutter moves into cutting position.

4. In a buttonhole sewing machine in which the stitch-forming mechanism comprises a needle operating from above the work and looper mechanism beneath the work carried by a turret and which comes to rest at the end of the sewing operation with a loop of needle thread retained by the looper mechanism, the combination with said stitchforming mechanism, of buttonhole-cutting mechanism including a cutting element movable toward and from the turret into and out of operative position, and a thread cutter carried by said buttonhole-cutting element and arranged to cut one side of the loop of upper thread during the movement of the buttonhole-cutting element toward the tur- 5. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism and work-holding means having a relative movement during the sewing on a buttonhole and a further relative movement both before the sewing begins and after it has been completed on any buttonhole, said work-holding means comprising clamp plates and work clamps to clamp the work thereagainst and arranged to release the work upon completion of the sewing, of means to cut the thread after the sewing has been completed and the work has been released, a hold-down finger for holding the work against and stationary with reference to the clamp plates, and means operated bysaid further relative movement which occurs after the sewing is completed but unaffected by the relative movement before the sewing begins to move the hold-down finger into voperative position in engagement with the work prior to the operation of the thread cutter.

6. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the

combination with stitch-forming mechanism 0 and work-holding means having a relative movement during the sewing on the buttonhole and a further relative movement in one direction before the work begins and in the opposite direction after the sewing has been completed, said work-holding means, comprising work clamps tov engage the work which are released at the end of the sewing operation, of means to cut the thread beneath the work after the sewing has been completed and work clamps have been released, a holddown finger for holding the work against and stationary with reference to the clamp plates, and means rendered operative by the relative movement of the stitch-forming mechanism and work-holding means in one direction but not affected by said relative movement in the opposite direction to move the hold-down into its operative position in engagement ,with the work just before the thread cutter is actuated.

7. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism and work-holding means having a relative movement during the sewing on the buttonhole and a further relative movement in one direction before the sewing begins and in the opposite direction after the sewing has been completed, said work-holding means comprising work clamps which are released after the sewing has been completed, of means to cut the thread beneath the work at the end of the sewing, a pivoted hold-down finger which in its operative position holds the work against and stationary with reference to the work clamps, an actuator therefor to move the hold-down finger into its operative position against the work during the relative movement which occurs after the sewing and before the thread cutter is actuated but which is inoperative to move the hold-down finger during the relative movement which occurs before the sewing begins.

8. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a bed frame, of a stitch frame movable on the bed frame during the stitching on the buttonhole and both before and after the stitching operation, stitchforming mechanism carried by the stitch frame, work clamps carried by the bed frame which are released at the end of the sewing operation, a thread cutter for cutting the thread at the end of the sewing operation, a hold-down finger carried by the bed frame, an actuator pivoted to the stitch frame and adapted to operate the hold-down finger after the work clamps are released and during the movement of the stitch frame which occurs after the sewing is completed. said actuator swinging into operative position and line being ineffective to actuate the finger during the movement of the stitch frame which occurs before the sewing operation begins.

9. In a buttonhole-sewing machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism constructed so that when it comes to rest at the end of the sewing cycle there is a loop of upper thread retained by the under thread mechanism, of buttonhole-cutting mechanism comprising two cutting elements, means to izo produce a relative movement between one of the cutting elements and the stitch-forming mechanism by which the parts are carried relatively from stitching to buttonhole-cutting position, and means carried by said cutting element to cut one leg of said loop of upper thread during the relative movement into buttonhole-cutting position.

10. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism and work-holding means adapted to have a relative movement during the sewing on the buttonhole and a further relative movement in one direction before the sewing begins and v in the opposite direction after the sewing has been completed, said work clamps being arranged to clamp the work during the sewing operation and to release the Work when the sewing is completed, of means to cut the thread at the completion of the sewing, and a hold-down member actuated by the said further relative movement which occurs after the sewing and before the thread is cut but which is unaifected by the relative movement that occurs before the sewing begins to engage the work and hold it from movement relative to the clamp plates while the thread cutter is operating.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 0 name to this specification.

FRANKLIN A. REEGE. 

